Quality of palliative care as perceived by intensivists in a cardiology unit
Eduardo Tavares Gomes, Tânia Couto Machado Chianca, Geovana Aparecida dos Reis Cirino, Larissa Braga CelesBackground
Perceptions of care for patients receiving palliative or end-of-life care in the cardiac intensive care unit may differ between physicians and nurses.
Aims
To evaluate the perceptions of intensivist nurses and physicians regarding the quality of palliative care provided in a cardiac intensive care unit.
Methods
Cross-sectional study conducted in a cardiac intensive care unit of a large tertiary university hospital in southeastern Brazil, between February and May 2025. Participants completed the Quality of Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit Questionnaire. The Quality of Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit Questionnaire evaluates ten items, each scored from 0 to 10.
Results
A total of 34 nurses (63.0%) and 20 physicians (37.0%) participated. Only one item (Item 8: Assessment of the spiritual/religious needs of patients and families) showed no statistically significant difference between professional categories; all other items received lower scores from nurses. The highest mean scores were observed for Item 5 (Communication of care goals to the next professionals (physician or nurse); 6.3 ± 2.4) and Item 7 (Symptom management and ensuring comfort care; 5.8 ± 2.5).
Conclusions
Nurses and physicians perceive palliative care in the cardiac intensive care unit differently, with physicians assigning scores up to 3.5 points higher than nurses.